[ARCHIVED THREAD] - Tj Update (Page 1 of 2)
Posted: 1/4/2010 4:48:23 AM EDT
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Thanks for all the kind wishes everyone.
I'm home and doing fine, actually expect to be better than in years in a few days. I appreciate all the kind offers of help, but hey I'm a preparedness guy and one prepares for this type event just like one does a tornado. Short version is I have a very acute case of Chrons, a chronic bowel disease, which flared up to a total blockage. When that happens, besides feeling like you are in the movie Aliens and the baby Alien wants to be born, it starts shutting down most of you organs. There's a number of treatments which I call Rooter Rooter, Squeeqy Out, and cut. I just got Rooter Rootered which is the best case scenario. I totally expect to come through this actually way better than I have felt in years. I may even do a crazy winter hike with Waldo in a few weeks. Unfortunately part of that is waking all those organs up and taking the inflammation down which means I have to be on "Silly" levels of Steroids a while. Because steroids makes one irrationally emotional, I avoid those situations till i come off this stuff, so have only been popping in here to read IMs and won't be posting much till I do come down which should be this weekend. Right now the rough part is I got some great Survival stuff for Christmas and can't use it.  Finally got the Lodge No. 8 two quart camp Dutch oven (small one suitable for two people size and easier to carry), a top of the line 550 down winter Parka, and a fair replica of an antique straight razor for shaving when there's no disposable blades.
God bless you all and if you want to do me a favor, post on the forum. I do so enjoy your alls input on things. Tj |
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Quoted:
Short version is I have a very acute case of Chrons, a chronic bowel disease, which flared up to a total blockage. When that happens, besides feeling like you are in the movie Aliens and the baby Alien wants to be born, it starts shutting down most of you organs. There's a number of treatments which I call Rooter Rooter, Squeeqy Out, and cut. I just got Rooter Rootered which is the best case scenario. I just got this vision of Joe the Plumber standing behind you with a bore snake... 
Glad to hear you're doing better! |
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Quoted:
Welcome back!! And thanks for the visual... I'll never be able to think about a power pipe snake in the same way now! You know one gets their pleasures where one can. When it came time to pull the Gastro Tube, being an old Medic, I insisted in doing it myself. Apparently nurses don't see that a lot.
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Glade ur homeand on the road to feeling better. i just finished a book were the guy had ur same thing. if ur into MT climbing u might want to read the book. book it talks about what he does to help control it some what. but more living with it kind of stuff.
good luck on the road to get better stuck |
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Glad your home.
A very good friend of mine in Texas has Crohns. He had an attack while we were traveling together. I had to rush him to get a flight home so he could have his home hospital handle the problem. I would have driven him straight to the hospital, but he wanted to get home. Worried me to death. |
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Glad to see you on the mend, TJ. I have enough friends, but not enough to spare any.. BTW next time remember I am a retired plumber, and snaking out a clogged up pipe is something I did on a regular basis.
If you want a good laugh, go over to Team and look up the WWIII in pictures thread, you may recognize a few faces. Great to have you back! Ops |
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Reminds of the joke that heard a few years back, about which body part can be the boss. I forget exactly how goes because I only heard it once, but it goes something like this:
The eyes wanted to boss because it enable you to see where you are going, the mouth wanted to be boss because it takes in nutrition, the feet wanted to be boss because you have get to the food, last the rectum wanted to be boss, and the rest asked what can you do? The rectum just shut up, and after a few days, the eyes started to get blurry, the arms, legs, & feet started to go limp, Moral of the story, you don't have to know or do anything, just be an @$$hole. 
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Quoted:
Quoted:
Welcome back!! And thanks for the visual... I'll never be able to think about a power pipe snake in the same way now! You know one gets their pleasures where one can. When it came time to pull the Gastro Tube, being an old Medic, I insisted in doing it myself. Apparently nurses don't see that a lot. Never knew you were a Medic... Civ or .mil? |
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My best friend has Crohn's and it is no fun at all. Neither is a bowel obstruction. Get well soon. For those that want to learn a bit more about TJ's illness...... linky |
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Glad you are feeling better. I know exactly what you are going through. I was diagnosed with Ulcerative Colitis in 94 and have been battling it ever since. I've had several flare ups over the years and it's not fun. Prednisone is a shitty drug as far as side effects go, but it does help. Overall you have good days and bad days, and it sounds like you had a few bad days. Best of luck to you for a speedy recovery.
Semper Fi! |
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so what your saying is to much yoder cheese and canned bacon one weekend backed you up, now your cranky becuase your butt hurts and you wont post becuase of that? Man what a poser you are,cant even handle survival food ,,jezzzee   get well soon man, we've missed you here!!!!!!!  |
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Quoted: glad your getting better. take some time off. we will keep the place sane for you. I want to know who you are calling sane in here? On a different note, I talked to tj for a bit and he is in good spirits and just has to slide along on the drug tapering off or however you go from silly levels to acceptable levels. |
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Way to pull through TJ! ( no roto-rooter pun intended)
A friend of mine has Chrons, no joy when it flares up. Sometimes he he can go a year or so, doing fine, other times he sees the ER 2 or 3 times in 6 months. Get well. If you go hiking with Waldo control that Roid Rage on him.
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| Glad to hear you are doing better.......have a good friend with chrones......not much fun........Hang in there and hope you enjoy your hike with waldo when you come off the "demon drugs".......I cant go near anyoneone when im on those things.....I should re-phrase, Im afraid to go near anyone.....they turn me into a different person and not a nice one |
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Thanks for the kind words again guys.
A big portion of my intestine is screwed up, but has been for 15 years now, 36" by last count. Despite that, I have really learned to live with it and by many doctors opinion almost a poster patient. With all things like this, we are no sicker than before we were diagnosed only now we know and can do something about it. One of the things that influenced me a lot was finding out its highly suspected King Alfred of England in the 8th century, the king who held off and finally started to push out the Danish Invasion, had Crohns. Following his lead, I have taken a really naturalistic approach to it and as a result this is the first major problem I've had in over ten years now and that was due to as much me being cocky and careless as anything. Like many things you learn the do's and the don't's. That takes time and a lot of trial and error. You learn things like what you can eat, what you shouldn't. No exercise is worse than too much so even tubed to the wall, I'm walking. Too much too soon is bad so I have learned to simply slow down and pace myself when I need to. Like a Kamakazi pilot, I can do about anything short term but will pay the price later. Its learning how to push that limit and not pay that is the trick. Because you can screw up on Monday and not find out till to the following Sunday, its a little tricky learning those do's and don'ts. I kid you not, though I live with a lot of discomfort, I have learned to appreciate this disease and almost look at it as a blessing. Its made me change my life and its changed for the better. Couch potato is not in my plans, can't be, and it reset my priorities. I prepare for this just like I do a power outage. I keep meds back, keep some extra weight on me in case I have to go without food for a long time, and stuff like that. People lived with this long before there was all these hospitals and they may again one day. Still, a week in a hospital beats a month trying to fight it off the hard way. Tj |
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Quoted:
Sorry to hear about the health issues. Best wishes on a speedy recovery. Ah don't feel too sorry, there's more kids than not who wish they could keep up with this old bird.
Life is like being a breaking champion in Martial Arts (yeah did that too), its not as much in your technique but in your mind. Quitting is not in my nature. I feel no sorrow for myself and expect none from others. There's plenty of folks who have life far worse off than me. First and always, I'm a survivor. I'll survive this just like I survived that and its just one more bump in the road. Tj |